# Eat Salmon On Christmas > Eat Salmon On Christmas is a 2018 Japanese viral catchphrase and hashtag from Super Sentai villain Samon Shakekistantin, who campaigned to replace traditional Christmas fried chicken with salmon. "Eat Salmon on Christmas!" (クリスマスにはシャケを食え) is a Japanese internet meme born from a 2018 episode of the Super Sentai series *Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger*, in which a salmon-themed villain named Samon Shakekistantin tried to force people to eat salmon instead of the traditional fried chicken on Christmas[1]. The catchphrase and its hashtag trended on Twitter every December after the episode aired, growing from a tokusatsu fandom in-joke to a genuine annual tradition that attracted corporate promotions, government endorsement from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, and even official merchandise[2]. It is one of the rare cases where a fictional villain's one-off line actually shifted real-world consumer behavior and food marketing in Japan[3]. ## Origin Eating fried chicken on Christmas is a uniquely Japanese tradition, rooted in KFC Japan's "Kentucky for Christmas" advertising campaigns that started nationwide in 1974[4]. KFC manager Takeshi Okawara began promoting fried chicken "party barrels" as a Christmas meal substitute in 1970, and by the 2010s, Christmas Eve sales accounted for nearly five percent of KFC Japan's annual revenue[4]. On December 23, 2018, episode 45 of *Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger* aired on TV Asahi[1]. The episode introduced Samon Shakekistantin, voiced by veteran tokusatsu voice actor Kyosei Tsukui[7]. In the story, the salmon monster replaced all the chicken prepared for Christmas with salmon fillets and urged people to eat salmon instead[5]. The episode also noted that in France, eating salmon on Christmas is an actual tradition, though this was unrelated to the villain's rampage[6]. The episode had extra anticipation among fans because of the "Christmas Episode" tradition in Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series, where December episodes often feature significant plot developments or special renditions[5]. - **Platform:** TV Asahi (broadcast), Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Toei Company (production studio), Kyosei Tsukui (voice actor for Samon Shakekistantin) - **Date:** 2018 ## Overview "Eat Salmon on Christmas!" comes from a memorable scene in the 45th episode of *Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger*, a tokusatsu show in Toei's long-running Super Sentai franchise[4]. The episode, titled "Looking Forward to Christmas," featured a Gangler monster named Samon Shakekistantin (サモーン・シャケキスタンチン), a salmon-themed villain who replaced chicken with salmon fillets all across town and shouted "No Chicken! If you're Japanese, eat salmon!" from an electric billboard[5]. The meme takes the form of the hashtag #クリスマスにはシャケを食え (or its variations) posted every Christmas season, usually accompanied by fan art of Samon, photos of salmon dishes, or parodies referencing the episode[5]. What started as a fan community ritual turned into a broader cultural event, with supermarket chains, government agencies, and even the show's own production studio leaning into the joke year after year[6]. ## How It Spread The catchphrase immediately became a trending hashtag on Japanese Twitter after the episode's December 23, 2018 airing[5]. J-CAST News later analyzed tweet volumes using the social analytics tool "Social Insight" and found that tweets containing both "Christmas" and "salmon" in December 2018 were over 60 times higher than December 2017[2]. User profile analysis showed the early adopters were predominantly tokusatsu fans[2]. Every December since, the hashtag resurfaces as a seasonal tradition among fans who post fan art, salmon dinner photos, and jokes about the villain[5]. The meme's influence quickly expanded beyond the fandom into corporate Japan and government institutions. ## How to Use The most common way to participate in the "Eat Salmon on Christmas" meme is simple: post something salmon-related on social media around Christmas with the hashtag #クリスマスにはシャケを食え (or the English #EatSalmonOnChristmas). Typical posts include: 1. **Salmon dinner photos** showing salmon sashimi, grilled salmon, salmon rice bowls, or any salmon dish prepared for Christmas 2. **Fan art** of Samon Shakekistantin, often in Christmas settings or confronting fried chicken 3. **Screenshots or clips** from the original episode, usually the electric billboard scene 4. **Jokes and commentary** about choosing salmon over chicken, the Ministry of Agriculture joining in, or Samon's "victory" over KFC ## Cultural Impact "Eat Salmon on Christmas" is a rare example of a fictional villain's throwaway line producing measurable effects on food marketing and government policy in Japan. AEON's 2019 "Merry Christmas Salmon" campaign explicitly positioned salmon as a Christmas alternative[5], and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture adopted the hashtag as part of their broader push to increase declining fish consumption rates[1]. The Ministry of Agriculture's involvement, starting in 2020 and becoming explicit in 2021, is particularly notable. The ministry's campaign to promote salmon and trout consumption at Christmas (#サーモンでクリス鱒) predated their adoption of the meme's specific hashtag, but fans and journalists recognized the connection immediately[2]. By 2023, the ministry was directly posting images of the fictional character Samon on their official account[6]. Major Japanese newspapers Asahi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun covered the tradition as a cultural story in December 2024, marking its transition from internet inside joke to recognized seasonal event[6]. The meme also has its own Wikipedia articles in both English and Japanese[1][6]. Within the tokusatsu production pipeline, the meme created a lasting tradition. Christmas episodes of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series produced after 2018 routinely include salmon references as nods to the original[5]. ## Fun Facts - The tweet analysis by J-CAST News showed a 60x increase in "Christmas + salmon" tweets from December 2017 to December 2018, the month the episode aired[2]. - The original episode mentions that eating salmon on Christmas is actually a real French tradition, though the villain's motivation in the story is unrelated to this fact[6]. - Voice actor Kyosei Tsukui, who voiced Samon, revealed his ALS diagnosis in October 2019 but returned to voice the character for the 2020 TV Asahi special[7]. By February 2023, he had lost his voice entirely due to a tracheotomy[7]. - Actor Ryo Yokoyama (Patren 2gou) joked after the Ministry of Agriculture adopted the hashtag: "We have to consider the possibility that we couldn't defeat Samon"[5]. - The meme has its own dedicated Wikipedia articles in both Japanese and English, a fact that surprises even its own fans, who post reactions like "Why does this have a Wikipedia article lol?"[3] ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "Eat Salmon on Christmas"? "Eat Salmon on Christmas" (クリスマスにはシャケを食え) is a Japanese internet meme based on a catchphrase by the villain Samon Shakekistantin from the 2018 Super Sentai series *Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger*[1]. The character tried to force people to eat salmon instead of the traditional fried chicken on Christmas[5]. ### Where did "Eat Salmon on Christmas" come from? It originated from episode 45 of *Lupinranger VS Patranger*, titled "Looking Forward to Christmas," which aired on December 23, 2018 on TV Asahi[1]. The salmon villain's quote became a hashtag that trended immediately after broadcast[5]. ### What does "Eat Salmon on Christmas" mean? The phrase is both a joke and a semi-serious food suggestion. It playfully challenges Japan's deeply ingrained KFC Christmas chicken tradition by proposing salmon as an alternative, based on a fictional monster's absurd crusade[1][4]. ### How do you use the "Eat Salmon on Christmas" meme? Post salmon-related content (dinner photos, fan art, or jokes) on social media around Christmas with the hashtag #クリスマスにはシャケを食え. Some people actually prepare salmon for Christmas dinner as part of the tradition[5]. ### Is "Eat Salmon on Christmas" still popular? Yes. As of 2025, the hashtag still trends every December in Japan, and Toei released an official collaborative grill product themed around the meme[3]. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture actively uses the hashtag in their Christmas campaigns[2]. ### Why do Japanese people eat chicken on Christmas? KFC Japan started promoting fried chicken "party barrels" as a Christmas meal in 1970, with a nationwide "Kentucky for Christmas" campaign launching in 1974[4]. By the 2010s, it was one of Japan's most established Christmas food traditions. ### Who is Samon Shakekistantin? Samon Shakekistantin (サモーン・シャケキスタンチン) is a Gangler monster from the Super Sentai series *Lupinranger VS Patranger*, voiced by Kyosei Tsukui[5][7]. He is a salmon-themed villain who replaced Christmas chicken with salmon in episode 45. ### Did the Japanese government actually promote this meme? Yes. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries used the #クリスマスにはシャケを食え hashtag on Twitter starting in 2021 as part of their effort to boost declining fish consumption[2]. By 2023, they were posting images of the character Samon himself[6]. ### What is the "Like a Hungry Salmon" grill? It's a 2025 collaborative product between electronics company Thanko and Toei, featuring prints of Samon Shakekistantin on the grill body[3]. It was marketed specifically for cooking salmon on Christmas[6]. ### Does the original episode still get re-uploaded? Yes. Toei's official YouTube channel uploads episode 45 "Looking Forward to Christmas" as a limited-time stream every December[6]. ### What happened to Samon's voice actor? Kyosei Tsukui revealed his ALS diagnosis in October 2019[7]. He voiced Samon one more time for a 2020 TV Asahi special[5], but by February 2023 had lost his voice after undergoing a tracheotomy[7]. On Christmas 2024, he posted that he ate salmon sashimi, writing "Being able to eat is a wonderful thing!"[6] ### Is eating salmon on Christmas actually a tradition anywhere? The original episode mentions that France has a tradition of eating salmon on Christmas[6]. However, the meme's popularity in Japan is entirely driven by the fictional villain's antics, not by any pre-existing Japanese custom. ## References 1. [A New Christmas 'Staple' Emerges: The 'Eat Salmon for Christmas!' Meme Gains Traction]() 2. [スーパー戦隊 クリスマス大作戦｜テレ朝チャンネル]() 3. [「特撮は農林水産省まで動かした！」　「クリスマスシャケ」今年も公認にTwitter沸騰...一体何が？: J-CAST ニュース【全文表示】]() 4. [Eat Salmon on Christmas! - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Eat Salmon on Christmas!]() 6. [Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger]() 7. [KFC in Japan]() 8. [Kamen Rider Zero-One]() 9. [Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger]() 10. [Mashin Sentai Kiramager]() 11. [Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger]() 12. [Avataro Sentai Donbrothers]() 13. [Kyousei Tsukui]() 14. [クリスマスにはシャケを食え - Wikipedia]() 15. [Ryo Yokoyama - Wikipedia]() 16. [中澤祥次郎 - Wikipedia]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/eat-salmon-on-christmas Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library